Planting Onion Sets

[mew]

Do I need to manure before i put my onion sets in and on a rotational system what are they best following on from? (or can they be planted where ive just harvested my summer ones from - ie no need to rotate?)

Thank youuuu as always

MEW :0)

[Wombat]

Hey Mew!

You should be s bit careful with the manure, too much nitrogen gives nice tops and small bulbs. you should always rotate, I think that the onions could slip in anywhere but not after any of the alliums and not followed by legumes (peas, beans etc.)

Nev

[ina]

I read somewhere they are good after potatoes - and the manure you put in for them the year before does for the onions as well. (Fortunately I read that after I'd put my sets in - exactly as the book said I should do it! )

[Stonehead]

Our rotation:


Lots of well-rotted muck, plant potatoes.
Lime, plant onions, garlic, carrots and parsnips, beets grown for roots
Legumes
Brassicas (and depending on time of harvest, a green manure of clover)
Lettuce, spinach, sorrel, leaf beets
Part-rotted compost and fresh muck under a layer of topsoil, plant out pumpkins, courgettes, squashes


It's a little different to some rotations, but it's to reflect our growing conditions and the use of companion planting.

The rotation starts with acid soil for the potatoes, is then sweetened with lime for the onions and garlic (companion planted with carrots and parsnips to help keep the pests at bay). The lime needs some time to take effect so that rules out autumn planted onions, while the garlic bed is limed as soon as the first earlies are lifted, giving a couple of months for the lime to work.

Legumes follow as they appreciated the sweet soil as well and fix nitrogen ready for the leafy crops. Cut the stems and leave the roots in the ground.

Then come the brassicas. I do need to check the pH of the beds as we have acid soil up here and in some seasons this occasionally means a light top dressing of additional lime is needed six weeks before the brassicas go in. As the earlier brassicas are harvested, we use a mix of clovers as green manure to top up the nitrogen levels.

Then come the lettuces, sorrel, spinach and leef beets. I'd prefer to keep all the beets together in the rotation, but this doesn't work as I grow some beets for their leaves and some for their roots. That means separating their place in the rotation.

As the soil can remain cool up here even through the summer (it hasn't passed 6C this year), we have to heat the soil for the curcubits. That means stripping off the top layer of soil, laying down a little fresh muck and a good layer of part-rotted compost. Replace the soil and cover with black plastic to get it all cooking. Then plant out the squashes, courgettes and pumpkins through the plastic.

This also has the effect of restoring the acidity, and this is enhanced further with loads of rotted muck the following year, into which the potatoes are planted.



Feeding during the growing season is with seaweed tea or extract. We're planting comfrey for future feeding, while nettle tea is also quite good.

All are easy to make - fill a large, sealable container about two-third full of seaweed, comfrey or nettles, then pour in enough water to cover the vegetation to a depth of six inches. Seal up and leave to brew for a month (in warmer, sunnier climes) or up to six months in colder ones (the more sun on the container, the shorter the brewing time). Then strain off the liquid, put any solid matter in the compost heap and use the liquid neat for ground feeding and diluted 50% for foliar feeding.

If foliar feeding, don't eat any fruit or leaves for at least three days after feeding.

[mew]

many thanks - any suggestions for a good onion variety?

[SueSteve]

Thats a great rotation SH!
I cannot suggest onions, but would also welcome info on the variety.
We planted allsorts this year, we started late, as we only got the allotment mid April, the shops had sold out of sets, but we were given loads, they all went in. Some were round, some had flat bottoms, and some were pointed. I think in future I will avoid the flat bottomed ones as they are harder to cut the tops and bottoms off while preparing, and I seem to loose a lot. So can anyone suggest what the best ones are, and do you know what the flat ones are, so I can avoid them!
Sue

[Andy Hamilton]

The variety I chose for this current season was a £1 bag from wilkinsons as a impulse purchase when buying my toilet paper. Most of them came up and I suspect I won't have to buy any onions until well into the new year. I have bought more expensive sets before which have not done as well. Although I think the huge amount of rain that we had really did help.

[maggienetball]

Old fashioed I know but you can't go far wrong with sturton for your cookers, red barron for your reds and white lisbon for your springs. I've never had a bad year with these (touch wood)

I don't plant spring onions any more though. Seem like a waste of valuable space. I love plantng shallots and find them much more useful. The pink french type are beautiful when pickled as well. You get some many for the space they take up.

Hope this helps.

[ina]

many thanks - any suggestions for a good onion variety?

I had (amongst other varieties which have been mentioned above already) Jet Set for the first time this year. Potent, nice flavour, but not suitable for storing (according to the label). I'm using them first and storing the others.

Can't remember what the autumn planted ones were, but they've all been eaten by now.